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CD Review by Michael Cote ~ Blues Review 10/11/02

No amount of talent or good luck can replace the magic you get when you put together a couple of musicians who've known one another for decades. T.J. Wheeler and Hatrack Gallagher, currently based in New England, haven't always worked together over the past 30 years, but "Blues You Can Bet On" demonstrates it's been more than a casual thing.

Wheeler (vocals, guitar, standup bass, and percussion) and Gallagher (vocals and harmonica) celebrate country blues on 15 tracks of covers and a few originals. Whether revisiting Leadbelly's "Rock Island Line," Bukka White's "Aberdeen," and Mississippi John Hurt's "Pay Day" or offering their statement of purpose on "Blues You Can Bank On," they deliver a vital contemporary take on the artists who inspired them. Wheeler's versatile guitar work ranges from Hurt's intricate picking to the primitive style of John Lee Hooker. Gallagher blows a mean blues harp packed with slick riffs and rhythmic grooves that recall Sonny Boy Williamson, James Cotton, and Sonny Terry. He engages in a bit of Terry-style whooping on "Lost John," a solo harmonica workout that extends nearly six minutes.

Though Gallagher sings lead on a few tracks, Wheeler's the principal vocalist, possessing a playful, smoky voice that lends itself well to the gentle blues of Hurt's "Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me" and his own upbeat "Hurry Up and Wait." Wheeler and Gallagher not only prove their dedication to the music, they remind us how much fun it can be. They're keeping the spirit of country blues legends alive while conjuring some ghosts of their own.

...Michael Cote
Blues Revue 10/11 2002


The Blues Bank Collective is a W.C.Handy Award
winning blues education organization whose mission is:
  • To further awareness of Blues Music and its African American heritage
  • To show the historic context that gave birth to the Blues
  • To use the music as a means of positive social change
    And, whenever possible, to eliminate all forms of racism, intolerance and prejudice.

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    Blues Music Assoc Greater Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce Blues Foundation Year of the Blues
    DRAWING: B. J. Johnson (1906-1986) was a great Portsmouth bluesman and teacher, as well as an inspiration to all who knew him. Art by Steven Lee.
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